Display device



J1me 1952 L. CISI ETAL 7 2,598,890

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Jan. 18 1949 LOU/5 6/5! 6 WILL/AM D/PPEL dww euw Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY DEVICE Louis Cisi, Cliffside Park, and William Dippel, Clifton, N. J.

Application January 18, 1949, Serial No. 71,493

1 Claim. (Cl. 40140) This invention relates to a device for the display of interchangeable price data and the like with articles of merchandise.

In store windows, on merchandise counters and wherever goods of substantial physical proportions are displayed, present methods associating the selling price with the merchandise by means of printed or hand lettered cards i frequently so unattractive as to detract from the merchandise itself. The cost for the preparation of printed matter to accompany the merchandise frequently reaches substantial proportions but sales may be lost if the price data are omitted. Moreover, any printed matter may have a relatively short life due to price changes ordiscontinuation of a particular line of merchandise. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device in which the selling price may be quickly associated in an attractive manner with an article of merchandise.

Another object is to decrease the cost of merchandising.

A further object is to provide a display device quickly adapted to changes in prices.

Other objects of the instant invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of these objectives, the display device is constituted of a support having at the front a surface portion adapted to be imprinted or stamped with appropriate material and at the top or thereabouts an L-shaped longitudinal slot with the base of the L directed toward the front. Slidably inserted within the slot are interchangeable digits and punctuation marks indicative of prices, the bottoms of the charac ters having an outwardly directed flange designed to coact with the L-shaped slot in the support so that the front of the characters will always face toward the front of the support. In addition, provision has been made in the ends of the slot to facilitate the insertion of the interchangeable characters and at least the back surface portion of the support has been so formed that the slot is under a slight tension on both sides of the center which aids in maintaining the characters in position. The support and characters may be made of any suitable material, transparent or opaque, to harmonize with any particular setting. If and. when the selling price becomes a special item of interest, the characters may be made of a colored transparent plastic and so placed relative to the merchandise and a light source as tube or appear to be illuminated.

The invention will appear more clearly from 2 the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of the support of the display device constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the support of the display device shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of one of the digits designed to be mounted on the support of the display device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the digit shown in Figure 3. V

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a series of characters associated with selling prices and mounted on the support of the display device.

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing in' which like reference numerals indicate like parts, reference numeral [0 (Fig. 5) indicates the display device; II the support; [2, I3, 14, and [5 (Figs. 3, 4, and 5) some of the digits; and I6 a punctuation mark.

The support ll may be of any suitable length and cross section, and made from any material such as a plastic, wood, or metal. As illustrated, the support ll may be a hollow body with open bottom in which the front wall or member I8 is in two planes, the uppermost portion I 9 of which extends upwardly and inwardly to a top or jaw member 20. As further illustrated, the support may have a back member 2| formed with a slightly convex (viewed from the front) surface at the top as indicated by the reference numeral 25 in Figure 1. The spaced parallel end members 22 and 23 complete the support l0. With the body of the support formed in the manner indicated, the center of gravity is low which provides stability thereto but obviously other forms of supports could be used.

Along the jaw member 20 of the support II is a longitudinal slot I! having a uniform cross section when the subsequently described characters are inserted and with the base of the L directed toward the front member I8. As may be seen in both Figures 1 and 5, the slot l1 continues for the full length of the top member 20 while the extreme ends of the slot have the portions 24 over the bottom of the L, actually forming open slots at the end, removed, to facilitate the insertion of the price data characters described infra. The slot I! may communicate may also be curved, that is concave, on either sideof the center to provide, when coacting with the convex upper edge 25 of the back member-2'l'-,

even a stronger grip on the bottomswf the chare acters when inserted in the slot I1.

Slidable within the L-shaped slot, I! are a series of digits from through 9': The" base-of each of the digits is turned outwardly (Fig.9: substantially in L-shape'to coact with the previously, mentioned. Leshaped slot. I]. The,- usual I?. mctuation marks,andlthe..1i associated'lw th price-data, suchflass the. period. IB (Fig. ,,arer

made in a manner similar to ,the previously described digits. The characters, thatIisthedi'git's and; punctuation marks and, the,'like, may, be made .fromany. suitablematerial'. such asatransrparent plastic and mayfurther beef any. ofjthe known type styles. Thebutwardly turnediportion of the bases .ofltheicharacters may further be, made, of: vsufiicient ,length, so that when, the characters. are, assembled'in. the,,slo.t 1.1, as later shown with the, ends of the outwardly, turned;

characters will be in accordance with-itlierules. of, typography.

It. isfiipparenti thatsthezspeeific, illustrations shownabove haveheengivenby way of illustrar tion. and. notfby, way, of, lir'nitatiomand that the structures above described are subject,to,.w-ide variation. and; modification without; departing from thascopeaorintent,dfgtheinvention, all of which variations andmodifications,areitobelin portions, of each,in.conta c t', the spacing, of. the 1 4 eluded within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

In a display device having interchangeable characters, the bottom of each character having an outwardly directed flange of L-shape, extending forwardly thereof; a support for the characters, the support comprising a hollow body having front and back walls, at least the upper n ntionstof. said .front ands-back wallsbeing directed towardicach other, jaw members interconnecting said front and back walls at the top and integral therewith, said jaw members having spacedupper edges, the jaw member integral with" said back wall having an inner projection extending parallel, to said upper edges toward thesother jaw member, whereby said projection; and said upper edges form a longitudinal slot Witli-t-lie cross-section of the slot being of L- shar a-said slot receiving the L-shaped flange of the characters, said walls being sufiiciently flexible at least atthe topso that pressure applied tojisaidiwalls'will causeth'em an'dthe jaws .to fulcrum'in theregion ofthetop to expand the jaws.

to permit,insertionoff'the characters and when the" pressure is release'd jt'o grip them securely.

LOUIS. CISI.

DIPPEL.

REFERENCES CITED l he following; references: areof.- record: in the file' of this --patent:.

UNITEDDSTA ES P-ATENTS- Number" Name Date 132391933" Thunneli-.. Sept. 11', 1917 1;271,804 "Ihunn'eili ,July 9', 1918 2,276,114 Sture 1v[ar. 10, .1942 223411964? Wagner-m Feb. 15,1944 2,365,076: Haywocd'luuhuuwllec. 12; 1944 BASCENTS Number G'ount'ry Date 764,190 France Jul'y;'13 1933- ii I 

